Sounds of the holiday season will ring through Rammelkamp Chapel at Illinois College on Saturday as the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra takes the stage for this year’s program Scenes of Holiday Joy.
Music Director and Conductor Garrett Allman says this year’s program has a varied mix of some endearing classics with a few new surprises for fans of the JSO. “It’s an exciting combination of various styles of music. We’ve got “A Christmas Festival” a famous piece by Leroy Anderson which has about eight familiar carols in it.
The “Christmas Song” of Mel Torme, four dance movements from “The Nutcracker”, the Wizards in Winter which is a piece made famous by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and new this year is music from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Which should appeal to the whole family including the kids. We want the whole family to come out and hear this program.”
Allman says another selection in this year’s program has a unique tie exclusive to Jacksonville. “Fantasia on Christmas Carols of English composer Vaughan Williams for the strings, actually arranged by Todd Parrish who years ago was the strings teacher at Jacksonville School District here in town. A wonderful arrangement by Todd.”
Also new this year is the brand new piece “A Christmas Tiding” which is an arrangement of both God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen and ‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime that Allman says is sure to be a hit during the show. Other notable selections include In the Bleak Midwinter and Fantasy on “Auld Lang Syne”.
The single performance kicks off at 3:00 p.m. Saturday at Rammelkamp Chapel. Tickets are available at the door for $20.00 for adults; children and students are admitted free of charge.
For more information go to the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra’s website at jaxsym–il.org.